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Friday, March 4, 2011

What do soft drinks and scrapbooking tools have in common? They are both essential tools for making sensational upcycled jewelry. Just imagine taking the colorful labels of your favorite pop cans, and transforming them into unique designs with flair.

Helen Harle’s instruction guide to making aluminum jewelry is full of inspiring designs with themes from nature. It might be hard to see flowers when you look at your recycling bin, but Create Colorful Aluminum Jewelry will change the way you think about metal work.

This book begins with an in-depth look at the jewelry materials and findings used in the projects, plus tips for cutting and shaping pop cans with an assortment of simple tools that you can find at most craft and hobby stores.

There’s also a brief look at jewelry making techniques, like wrapped loops, with clear photographs to guide the absolute beginner.

There are 20 different jewelry projects to try, including earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces and brooches. Each design is a little more complex than the last, so there’s something for beaders of every skill level. You can work your way up from simple dangle earrings, to the elaborate and stunning wisteria necklace. At first glance, it would be hard to tell that this piece started out in a grocery store cooler.

Equally intriguing is the rose bracelet project. Using basic flower punches and careful shaping techniques, you can create realistic looking roses for all types of jewelry and even home décor designs. This project is definitely one to strive for.

Although the projects in Create Colorful Aluminum Jewelryare very feminine, the techniques used could easily be adapted to all kinds of tastes. I can see plenty of opportunities to make beer can jewelry for those guys manly enough to wear it.

And, just in case beaders didn’t have enough to obsess over, hunting down cans with unique colors and patterns could become a hobby all on its own. The import section of your grocery store would be a great place to start!

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